


Making a Different Call

by strawberry_cupcakes



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Brief mentions of child trafficking and experimentation, Domestic Fluff, Home is people, Kid Fic, Kinda AoU compliant but not really, M/M, Natasha is secretly a big softie, Not a place, So much teasing and sass, Strike Team Delta banter, mention of other characters, nothing graphic though, post AOU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 16:26:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4926772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberry_cupcakes/pseuds/strawberry_cupcakes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Never had the term 'father' come up when Clint Barton talked about his future. He knew the dangers of his job. He knew every time he was given a new mission that there was a high chance that he wouldn't be coming back. It was his burden to bear for being one of the best in the business.</p><p>Knowing this, Natasha Romanov felt completely justified in doing a double-take when she sneaked into Phil Coulson's apartment (where she knew Clint would be as he was currently taking a break from the Avengers to help Phil with the new SHIELD) to find said archer sleeping in bed with a small child sprawled on top of him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making a Different Call

**Author's Note:**

> This is set sometime after AoU but before the third season of Agents of SHIELD (which I have yet to watch). It's only partially AoU compliant because although I did enjoy Laura Barton and the kids in the movie, I omitted them because they don't fit in this narrative. Also, Pietro lives. Because he walked it off.
> 
> I'm very thankful for the wonderful reaction I got from my first fic, and I hope everyone enjoys this one too! Once again, constructive feedback is greatly appreciated :)

Throughout his life, Clint Barton had taken on a multitude of identities and worn many masks. First, he was a scared little boy who would lie to his teachers about his bruises and broken bones. Then, he was the Amazing Hawkeye, who never missed a shot. Then, the 'Amazing' part came off his name, leaving a young teen mercenary with sunken eyes that had seen too much, too young. Then came his status as an agent of SHIELD, from probie to junior agent to senior specialist, member of Strike Team Delta, and the only one who could tease Natasha Romanov and live to tell the tale. Then came "compromised" and "Loki's", swiftly followed by Avenger. He had settled into that last identity well, and became just "Clint" to his teammates, though Stark seemed to enjoy making up as many archery-related nicknames as humanly possible.

But never in those 44 years had the term 'father' come up. Clint Barton knew the dangers of his job. He knew every time he was given a new mission that there was a high chance that he wouldn't be coming back. It was his burden to bear for being one of the best in the business. That was why he was always extra careful when it came to sex, and had never really been one for serious relationships.

Knowing all this, Natasha Romanov felt completely justified in doing a double-take when she sneaked into Phil Coulson's apartment (where she knew Clint would be as he was currently taking a break from the Avengers to help Phil with the new SHIELD) to find said archer sleeping in bed with a small child sprawled on top of him.

 

One of his eyes peeked open when Clint sensed her presence, and he smiled as he said, "Hey, Nat."

Having regained her composure, Natasha simply arched an eyebrow and waited for an explanation.

Clint sighed as he carefully moved the little girl so that she was now encased in a little nest of pillows and blankets. He then shuffled out of bed, and headed for the kitchen, no doubt in search of some coffee. Natasha silently followed behind him and sat at the kitchen counter, gracefully accepting the mug of hot water and box of herbal tea, Natasha's favorite blend, that Clint handed her.

After a quiet moment to enjoy their first sip, Clint began to talk, nudged on by another raised eyebrow from his friend. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he said, "So... I guess I have some explaining to do?"

The only response Natasha deemed worthy of such an obvious statement was a small hum of agreement as she sipped her tea.

With a sigh, Clint began to tell his story.

"I was on a mission with Phil and his team, checking on some rumors about a possible Hydra base in Córdoba. Found out the rumors had more truth in them than first expected. It was a small base, so we rushed in, took out most of the Hydra goons and rounded up a few for interrogation. I was helping scout the rest of the base, maybe catch a few stragglers, when I found myself in a lab, facing that little girl strapped to a table."

Natasha tensed at those words. The girl looked around five or six at most, and to have been subjected to experimentation at such an age, especially by the likes of Hydra...

Giving her a minute to collect herself, Clint gulped down the rest of his coffee but kept the mug in his hands, fiddling with it as he went on.

"She had needle marks down her arms and tears streaming down her face. The moment I freed her, she wrapped her arms around my neck and clung to me like she'd die if she let go. God, the way she was shaking, Nat... I took her back to the quinjet, had her checked out by Bobbi. She wouldn't let go of me the whole time though. By the time we arrived back on base, we'd gotten her name and no clue on what they'd been shooting her up with.

"Ran her name through our database and found Grace Evans, orphaned during the Battle of New York and filed as missing by her group home five months ago. Did some more digging, and uncovered that the sick fuck who was running the place was selling the kids who came to him to the Córdoba base, bribing the social workers to write up false documents and look the other way. More than twenty kids were found to be missing but Gracie was the only kid who survived."

By that point, Clint had to put his mug down before he broke it and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"We collected enough evidence to get everyone involved locked up for a good, long time and Phil handed the case over to the FBI. The only thing left for us to do was send Gracie to a new group home, and hopefully, a new family. But she hadn't said a word since giving us her name and would start panicking if I wasn't in the room with her. The therapist said that she'll start speaking again once she feels safe, and who knows when that'll be. I knew she wouldn't survive in a group home and the base was no place for a kid, so Phil gave everyone some down time and let me bring her here to recuperate. That was a week ago."

Natasha stared down at her mug as she processed everything. Clint was right. Five months subjected to experimentation in the hands of Hydra and who knew what else she might have gone through. The little girl would never make it in a group home, and her chances of leading a normal life with a family were slim at this state. But still...

"You know you can't keep her, Clint."

Clint ran a hand through his hair with an exasperated huff. "I know, Nat. I am fully aware that my job is not conducive to child-rearing. But... I couldn't just send her away and forget about her. The system is... Too many kids fall through the cracks in the system, and I couldn't bear to see her be one of them. She's survived so much, and I refuse to put her through any more agony than necessary."

A lengthy silence followed, in which Clint poured himself another cup of coffee and Natasha watched her friend sort through his emotions. Natasha knew Clint still had a deep mistrust of the system, his opinion colored by his own experiences. She knew Clint was just trying to do what was best for the little girl. But she also knew Clint had too much heart and formed attachments too easily. When the day came for the little girl to leave, her friend would be left heartbroken.

Natasha knew that Clint knew all of this too. Yet, being the idiot that he was, he had decided to go for it anyway. So instead of poking further into the matter, Natasha asked, "Where's Phil?"

Knowing full-well what she was doing and shooting her a grateful smile, Clint said, "He went out to get some groceries for dinner. Gracie usually takes an afternoon nap, so I decided to join her."

With a smirk, Natasha said, "See, little hawk, I told you that you're better fitted for the life of a child. Frequent naps, and don't think I didn't catch that pack of gummy bears sitting on the top shelf of the cabinet behind you."

"Hey, don't diss the bears, Nat. They taste delicious and you know how fun it is to pretend you're decapitating them by eating the heads first."

"Such a child."

"Shut up."

 

It was then that Natasha heard the bedroom door open and caught the gaze of a curious, but slightly terrified, set of eyes.

Following the shift in Natasha's attention, Clint immediately went to pick the young girl up in his arms and gave her a winning smile. "Good afternoon, sweetheart. Good nap?"

The little girl nodded and peeked at Natasha, quickly averting her gaze when she found Natasha still staring. Clint approached his friend as he said, "This is my best friend, Natasha. She just dropped by to say hi. Nat, this is Gracie."

Natasha immediately changed her demeanor to seem less intimidating and gave the little girl a warm smile. In return, Grace's lips briefly quirked up in a small smile and she waved her hand to say hello.

Clint placed her in the chair next to Natasha's as he set about a running commentary on his quest to get a glass of juice for the little girl. Natasha smiled into her mug of tea as she watched her friend make a fool of himself to help the little girl relax.

 

As this went on, the front door opened to make way for Phil Coulson and his bags of groceries. He unceremoniously dumped said bags on the countertop as he kissed Clint on the cheek and dropped another on the top of Grace's head. He then smiled at Natasha and said, "Hello, Natasha. Staying for dinner, I hope?"

"Steve tell you I was coming?"

Phil nodded as he and Clint began sorting though the groceries, leaving dinner ingredients where they were and putting the rest in the fridge. "Yes, he texted me when you left the base. He had a feeling you'd be coming here so I made sure to pick up an extra portion of chicken."

"Does it still feel like a dream that you're on a first-name basis with your childhood hero?"

Phil's ears turned red as he began dicing some onions. "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer."

Clint slid behind him as he grabbed the tub of Greek yogurt still left on the countertop and said, "Your ears have already given you away, babe," as he kissed one of the tips.

Turning even redder, Phil grumbled something about nosy assassins as Clint laughed, bundling Grace in his arms and heading towards the living room. "C'mon sweetheart, let's see what Harry will do next and let Uncle Phil cook in peace."

Seeing Natasha's questioning stare, Phil explained, "Clint's been reading Harry Potter to Gracie in his spare time. I think they're both enjoying it."

"I'm sure they are."

After a slight pause, Natasha joined Phil in the cooking preparations and first set a pot of water to boil before moving on to the head of broccoli that sat next to a second cutting board. "How's the hand?"

Phil glanced down at his new robotic hand and shrugged. "It's not bad. There are still a few kinks in it, but my team's working on it."

"You know, Stark could probably make you a better one."

"Stark would probably make my hand turn into a taser and sing the James Bond theme song whenever someone walked by."

"Like you wouldn't enjoy the taser, Phil."

Phil shrugged again and said, "Touché."

"He did a pretty good job fixing up Sam's wings though."

"Speaking of which, how's the new team doing?"

Natasha took a moment to think about it before she answered. "They're alright. Still working on meshing as a team and working off of each other's strengths. It's been rough balancing Sam and Rhodey's military training with the unpredictability of Vision and the twins, but we're doing much better."

She paused momentarily before slowly adding, "It's different. From the old team. And Strike Team Delta. Sometimes, I just..."

"...miss the good old days. I know what you mean." Phil said as he seasoned the chicken. "A lot has changed over the years. And sometimes, you just need to get away from all of it and take a breather. You're always welcome here, Natasha. I hope you know that."

Phil was rewarded with a genuine smile from Natasha, the one with a small lilt in her lips and a happiness that reached her eyes, as she said, "I know."

 

The two slipped into a comfortable silence, preparing more than enough chicken carbonara for the four of them. Clint's voice reverberated around the open space as he narrated the thrilling adventures of Harry Potter and his friends.

Once the dinner table was set, the four of them sat around the table and enjoyed each other's company. Grace quietly ate her dinner as she watched Phil and Clint recount their recent missions ("Natasha, he won't stop saying 'caw caw motherfuckers' when he's needed on the ground. He's got Daisy brainstorming ideas for her own catchphrase." "You're just jealous you don't have a cool entrance theme, babe.") while Natasha shared stories of the new Avengers ("Pietro's finally noticed how interested his sister is in Vision. I can now cross off seeing an enhanced give an android the shovel talk from my bucket list.")

When plates were cleared and tummies filled, Natasha volunteered to watch over Grace in the living room while the others did the dishes. Clint gave her a questioning look but Natasha just shook her head and walked into the living room. Getting comfortable in an armchair, she took out her phone and started replying to e-mails, giving Grace a chance to settle down on the floor to color. Once it looked like the little girl had relaxed enough where she wasn't going to bolt the minute Natasha moved, which understandably took a while, Natasha slid down to the floor and sat next to her.

"You know, you're very lucky that Clint Barton was the one who found you," Natasha said as she looked at the little girl. She was met with curious eyes as she continued, "Anyone else might have just sent you off and forgotten about you in a month or two. But Clint... Clint's unique. He always sees the good in people, even when they themselves don't think they have any left. You and I, we're quite alike, you know. I was left to fend for myself at a young age and was also hurt by some very bad men. But Clint Barton didn't show up to make a different call till much later in my life. He did eventually though, and that is a debt I will never be able to repay."

Natasha brushed away a strand of hair as she said, "I know you have no reason to trust me right now. But as someone who's been where you are right now? Trust me when I say that those men over there? They are the most loving, dependable people in the world who will take care of you as long as you need them. You are loved, little bird, no one will hurt you while you're here."

Brushing her lips on the little girl's head, Natasha stood up and went to the kitchen to join the others. Though they looked curious, Phil and Clint didn't push for an explanation and instead continued their conversation about letting Tony Stark fiddle with Phil's new hand. Natasha simply made herself another cup of tea and smiled as she relaxed for the first time since the Ultron fiasco.

 

Clint was putting Grace to bed when Natasha decided it was time for her to leave. Though Phil offered her their spare bedroom, she declined as the new team had an early morning training session scheduled. She was waiting for Clint to come out so she could give him a proper goodbye when he finally emerged from the second bedroom, gently closing the door behind him.

Before she could say a word, Natasha was swept up in a hug by her friend, whose eyes were brimming with unshed tears. "Nat, I have no idea what you said to her, but thank you. Thank you so much."

Phil, who was just as alarmed by Clint's sudden show of emotions as Natasha was, placed a comforting hand on Clint's shoulder and asked, "What happened?"

Wiping at his eyes, Clint gave them a watery smile and said, "I tucked her in and said goodnight as usual, and this time, she actually replied. She said, 'Goodnight Uncle Clint. Thank you for everything.' I know you said something to her in the living room, Nat. I have no idea what, but you really helped us make a breakthrough here."

Natasha just patted him on the shoulder and said, "All I did was tell her she could trust you two. What happened today was bound to happen eventually, so I can't take all the credit."

She got to their front door and gave each man a farewell hug. Her parting words were whispered in Clint's ear ("Take care of her. She deserves it.") and Natasha was off, returning to her own apartment to rest before she headed back to headquarters.

 

After that fateful night, Natasha made sure to keep tabs on little Grace Evans. If anyone was curious why the Black Widow asked for a couple days of down time the week after, they didn't dare ask and it was none of their business anyway. (Clint had sent a text message saying that "Little Gracie is asking where her Auntie Nat is, so could she please come visit?") When Natasha received a text from Phil a month later, she opened up the attachment to see the little girl holding her adoption papers that officially named her 'Grace Barton-Coulson'. She flew straight from a meeting with Dr. Cho in Seoul to attend the celebratory dinner. As time went on, Natasha's apartment slowly filled with drawings and letters from her little bird, which became a great story for a certain doctor when she found him dozing off in front of her apartment door one day, a couple of unmailed postcards from Fiji clutched in his hands.

Best of all was a year later, when Natasha wore matching dresses with her favorite little girl for her fathers' wedding. Natasha often wondered how different life would have been for Grace had Clint done what was expected of him. If she would have been better off living with a normal family instead of a band of misfit superheroes and spies. But seeing the little girl shower the aisle with flower petals as her dads walked behind her, Natasha knew that once again, Clint had made the right decision by making a different call.


End file.
